As a child, Kelly Jo Barnwell recalls going to work with her mom and watching as she led a room full of older adults through gentle exercises.
Linda Jo Brown had been the first director of the Anderson County Senior Citizens Program, a position she held from 1981 to 1993. Now, Barnwell is nearly two decades into the same role her mother had, leading a team of volunteers who teach activities from quilting to line dancing.
Barnwell also revived the Golden Years Jamboree, her mother’s signature event, which brings people together each year for music, dancing and camaraderie. And like her mom, Barnwell teaches exercise to some 80 people each week. “It was always a beautiful thing, the connection that mama had,” Barnwell says…